Apparatus for sewing bags



Oct. 15, 1929.

Filed-J n; 24. 192'? s Sheets-Sheet 1 gwoantov .fo/m Cornell Oct. 15, 1929. J. E. CORNELL 1,731,295

APPARATUS FOR SEWING BAGS Filed Jan. 24, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l .U E

wuantoz CZ Olin Cornell Oct. 15, 1929. J. E. CORNELL 1,731,295

APPARATUS FOR SEWING BAGS Filed Jan. 24, 192'? '3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lTzA- John E Cor/2e]! atentod Get. 15, 1929 JOHN 3L. (EOE/HEEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TU Wt. REGIS IPAPEE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK APPARATUS FOIL SEWING BAG-S application filed January 2 1, 1927. Serial No. 162,956.

One object t my invention is to provide mechanism by which a bag may be fed to a sewing machine in proper relationto be sewed thereby. a

A further object of my invention is to provide apparatus by which'first one end of a hag and then the other may be sewed automatically and with the seam in exactly the preferred relation to the ends of the bag.

in in the accompanying drawings forming a part 0t this specification, Figure 1 is a p an view of one form of apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and t are 15 details of an aligning device; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the apparatus.

la the term of apparatus shown, there is a table having parallel grooves 11 and 12 in the upper surface thereof, and belts or chains 13 and 14: are mounted to run in these grooves. The chains carry pushers 15 at spaced intervals therealong.

Adjacent one side of the path of these 55 pushers there is a sewing machine 16 of any suitable construction and a cutter 17 adjacent thereto.

At another point, and on the other side of the path of the pushers, there is a sewing ma- 3a chine 18 with an accompanying cutter 19. The two sewing machines are connected by a belt or chain 20 which connects the drive shafts 21 and 22 of the respective sewing machines. If desired, the brackets carrying the sewing machines and cutters may be adjustable towards or from the pathway of the pusher-s.

Approximately opposite the first sewing head there is a righthand aligner 25, shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4:. A bracket plate 26 is mounted upon the table for adjustment towards and from the path of the pushers.

Plate 26 carries an upright pin 27 upon which.

there is pivotally mounted an arm 28 which carries an aligning plate 29. A coil spring 30 mounted a out pin 27 normally urges the bracket in a direction to carry the aligning plate towards the sewing machine until a heel 23 on arm 28 encounters an adjustable stop screw 31.

A similar aligning plate 32 is mounted upon the lefthand side of the pathway of the pushers a little in advance of the second sew- I mg machine.

The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows:

A bag 33 may be placed upon the table in advance of a guard plate 34 which covers the endless conveyor at the front end thereof.

A bag so placed rests upon the table until an encountered by one of the pushers 15. It will be readily understood that the slight friction of the bag upon the table is sufi'lcient to cause it to rest snugly against the pusher throughout-its length, so that the axis of the as bag is exactly perpendicular to the line of travel of the pusher. When the right end oi the bag encounters the righthand aligner, the bag is automatically moved endwise until it abuts a stop plate 35 in connection with the to lefthand sewing machine, which brings it into proper position to have its left end closed by the ler'thand sewing machine. In the construction shown, the sewing machine is adapted to apply a tape 36 to the seam as it it is sewed. While a bag end is being sewed by thelefthand sewing machine, the tape is out between it and the precedin bag by the cutter 17, and immediately a ter the bag passes the lefthand cutter the left end of the my bag encounters the left aligner, whereupon the bag is shoved to the right until it encounters a suitable stop plate 37 in connection with the righthand sewing machine. This places the bag in proper position to have as its right end closed by the righthand sewing machine.

It is detrimental to have a bag pushed by a pusher while the needle is in the fabric. In order to avoid this, each sewing head is supplied with the usual intermittent feed device, and this device is set to operate at a speed slightly faster than that of the pusher. No harm results from the intermittent feed device feedin a trifle more rapidly than the pusher, as t e abutment plate keeps the bag in line and prevents any material retardation, of the end of the bag away from the sewing machine. Therefore, the feed device is normally set to feed sufliciently faster than the pusher so that unavoidable variations will not slow it up to a speed-less than that of the pusher.

It is highly desirable to have both ends of the bag closed at the same operation, so that but one operator is required for closing both ends of the bag. If two sewing machines are placed opposite each other and anattempt is made to feed the bag between the sewing machines so as to sew both ends at one time, difliculty is encountered where the bag is of paper, and especially where reinforced seams are to be applied to paper bags havin valves.

One of the sources of difiiculty is the practical impossibility of feeding the two ends of the bag in absolute unison. Of course, the sewin machines are provided with the ordinary eed dogs, as stated above, in order to move the bags between stitches in the customary manner, and any slight difi'erence in the rate of feed of the two sewing machines is likely to be much more detrimental in sew ing paper than in sewing cloth or similar material, because the cloth willreadily yield and allow one end to be fed more rapidly than the other.

The practical impossibility of maintaining an equal rate of feed in the two sewing machines lies 'partly in the difficulty of timing the machines in exact unison and arranging the feed dogs so that their travel above the 7 plate is exactly equal, and also in thedifi'b' culty of maintaining the two feed dogs so that they are equally sharp and will grip the paper at the two ends of the bag to the same extent. Even were it possible to maintain absolute equality between the two feeding devices, there are sometimes differences inthe glaze of the aper, or other features involved in the seizlng of the paper by the feed dogs, so that absolute equality of feed b the two machines at the two ends of the ag would be very difiicult to maintain.

Another difliculty is in maintaining absolutely equal lengths in successive bags. This difliculty is especially marked where multi-wall bags are used, but also applies to other bags. It will be readil seen that slight difi'erences in the lengths o successive bags will result in difierences in the depths of the seams, where the sewing machines are placed oppositeeach other. This is particularly detrimental where a valve is formed by tucking in one corner of a'bag, as a seam of the roper depth is essential in forming a valve 0 proper size to receive a feed tube and also of proper proportions to. close correctly after the bag has been filled. Furthermore, the seam must .be dee enough to avoid tearing out, and too great epth results in a waste of material.

.By the construction shown, it will be seen that slight" variations in the speed of feed of the two sewing machines are immaterial, and that the deptlrbf the seam is not afiected b y the stop plate while it is bemg moved slight variatlons in thelengths of the bags,

as the end of the bag is always shoved over to a fixed position in relation to the sewing machine which is operating thereon.

-While I have shown one form of mechanism for carrying out my invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bag sewing machine, a table, a pusher adapted to engage one edge of a bag on the table, means to move the pusher in a straight line over the table, a sewing machine at one side of the path of the pusher, a stop having a face parallel with the direction of movement of the pusher, and means to move a bag endwise against the sto While it is being moved by the pusher an in advance of its reaching the sewing machine.

2. In a bag sewing machine, a table, a pusher adapted to engage one edge of a bag on the table, means to move the pusher in a straight line over the table, a sewing machine at one side of the path of the pusher, a stop plate having a face parallel with the direction of movement of the pusher and on the same side of the path of the pusher as the sewing machine, and an aligner on the opposite side of the path of the pusher from the sewin machine and adapted to move a bag en wise against the stop plate.

3. In a bag sewing machine, a table, a

pusher adapted to engage one edge of a bag on the table, means to move the pusher in a straight line over the table, a sewing machine at one side of the path of the pusher a stop aligner towards the stop plate.

4. In a bag sewin apparatus,-a table, a groove in the top 0 sa1d table, an endless member runmng in said groove, a pusher at said member, a sewing machine at one side of the groove, a stop plate on the same side of the groove with the sewin machine and having a face arallel with t e groove, and means on the ot er side of the groove adapted to move a bag into abutting relation with said stop plate as the bag is-bemg pusher over the table by the pusher.

,5. In a bag sewing machine, a table, a pusher, means to move the pusher in a straight line over the table, a sewin machine at one side of the path of the pus er, a stop plate having a face parallel with the direction of movement of thepusher and on the same side ofthe path of the pusher as the sewing machine, means to. move a bag endwise a ainst y the pusher and 1 n advance of its reaching the sewright angles to the groove and attached to ing machine, and feeding means connected with the sewing machine and adapted to feed material to be sewed at least as rapidly as the.

pusher is moved.

6. In a bag sewing machine, a table, a sewing machine having feeding means forming a part thereof, a stop plate at one side of the sewing machine and having a face parallel with the direction of said feeding means, and

automatic means adapted to feed a bag to the feeding means of the sewing machine with one end abutting the stop plate.

7. In apparatus for sewing bags, a sewing machine adapted to sew reinforcing tape to the end of a bag, means to move the end of the bag through the sewing machine, means to sever the tape and seam after the bag has passed through the sewing machine, a second sewing machine, and automatic means for moving the bag endwise after the tape is cut to position its other end in position to be closed by said second sewing machine.

8. In apparatus for sewing bags, a sewing machine adapted to sew reinforcing tape to the end of a bag, means to move the end of the bag through the sewing machine, means to sever the tape and seam after the bag has passed through the sewing machine, means for moving the bag, after the tape has been severed, in a line parallel with the reinforced seam, a second sewing machine, substantially in line with the other end of the bag and adapted to sew a seam across said other end, a stop for the end of the bag in line with said second sewing machine, and a guide in position to en- I gage the first sewed end and press the bag endwise against said stop after said tape has been cut and while the last said means is moving the bag to said secondsewing machine.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this s ecification.

J OH E. CORNELL. 

